Opinion
Media on Trial: launch of itv.com
03.07.2007Richard Whittle, Digital Planning Director You need only have seen the number of Youtube plays that Paul Potts, Connie and the rest of the talented Britons achieved to know what potential the new broadband video service from ITV.com could hold.The best example of the internet driving TV viewing figures, I’ve seen. ITV with this re-launch has the potential to bring new users to the internet and new web users to its TV shows.
I’m not convinced, though, that the ITV audience is the same off-line as it is on, so I’m nervous that the same programming won’t be as successful. They ignore the habits of the country’s internet users at their peril.
Can Coronation Street and Emmerdale generate the same sort of interest online as Britain’s Got Talent? Who knows? ITV have re-packaged a successful mass television model on-line which may or may not work. I can’t see the attraction of watching day time TV like Jeremy Kyle, live, through a perfectly good broadband connection, though. There may be plenty of people on-line who do.
I do think access to the ITV archives has great potential. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the first episode of Emmerdale Farm. Programming content will hopefully be delivered based on ITV.com user habits, and not on what ageing controllers think people should be watching.
It’s taken ITV a while to give, what is for many of us, an obvious offering. And to be fair if they have used this delay to learn from other’s mistakes it will be worth while. From what we’ve seen so far, it looks like a compelling service.
Advertising on the new site looks to be priced at a premium, and until tested this will block some advertisers from joining in.
I’m a believer that the FMCG big budget TV ad spender’s should be increasing their online budgets as that is where their future lies. ITV are clearly aware of this, too. However, to ignore the fact that the new world is all about the active audience rather than the passive does the smart advertisers a dis-service.
I’d like to see more programming that is produced purely for web broadcast through ITV.com. ITV have a huge opportunity to corner the IPTV market, I just hope they don’t make a mess of it.
